Lucic was not made available to the media after the workout (again, the KGB rarely, if ever, allows a wounded operative to speak). It's safe to assume that ''Looch'' suffered a jaw injury or slight concussion Thursday, because a hand injury likely would not have a player wearing a red ''no contact'' sweater in practice.

Nokelainen, said Julien, will see a doctor tomorrow, and could receive the nod to begin contact workouts.

Julien on how the impending trade deadline (Wednesday at 3 p.m.) can influence players: ''Players have to deal with it at this time of year ... and it's not just us, it's every team.''

The coach also noted the tricky balancing act that team management must perform at the trade deadline, because ''you might not get this chance again, so it might be worth going for it.'' He was speaking in generalities, not specifically about the Bruins.

Reflecting on his time behind the Habs bench, Julien noted the key move Les Glorieux made in picking up journeyman forward Jim Dowd from the Minnesota Trappist Wonks.

''He played a really good role,'' said Julien, also noting Montreal's far more heralded move that brought in Alexei Kovalev. ''He was a really good faceoff man.''

Overall, said Julien, 3 p.m. on Wednesday will offer ''closure.....one way or the other, closure.''

No sign of GM Peter Chiarelli in the tiny lookout here at the practice facility. It's a good bet that Julien was headed to Causeway St., in order to confer with Chiarelli, Jim Benning, Don Sweeney and Cam Neely about possible roster moves and deals with Wednesday's deadline approaching.

Check back here throughout the day, into the evening and through the wee hours for possible deals, rumors and hearsay.